Table of Contents
Summary
An opening
Investigation into the Impact on Death
Documentation Is Critical
What about Now?
To sum up,
Sources
Summary
Jack the Ripper is a notorious serial killer who terrorized Whitechapel, London’s East End town, from 1888 to 1889. Jack’s method of killing his victims was remarkably similar to that of a physician. Four of the five victims assumed to have been murdered were said to be mutilated beyond recognition. The Ripper murders have remained unsolved despite multiple investigations.
Scholars continue to search for new facts and correlations about Jack the Ripper’s true identity. Although the suspect killer was not identified by traditional investigation techniques, modern techniques could have led to justice. This essay will cover Jack the Ripper’s story and the effects it had on the death investigation. Additionally, a comparison of investigation techniques from 1888 to now will also be discussed.IntroductionThroughout a span of four months, London’s East End district, Whitechapel, was terrorized by a spree of murders. Jack the Ripper is the name of the mysterious killer. It was first published in a letter that was published during the horrific attacks of 1888. Jack the Ripper, allegedly responsible for at least twelve deaths, is claimed to have committed five murders between 1888-1892. Although there isn’t an official count, Jack the Ripper is believed to have killed five prostitutes from a poor neighborhood.
The Ripper’s victims were all killed while they solicited customers in Whitechapel. This is a sign that the Ripper’s M.O. has changed. [modus operandi]. The first murder occurred August 31st. Mary Ann Nichols and Annie Chapman were killed in the attack. Elizabeth Stride (September 8th) and Catherine Eddoweson (September 30th) were also victims. Mary Jane Kelly was killed November 9th.
The victims’ throats were sliced and several body mutilations performed. The way in which bodies were dissected suggested that the killer knew a lot about anatomy. Could this suggest that Ripper could have been a doctor? Possibly. This case is remarkable because serial murders are not common today. One Ripper theory points towards Prince Albert Victor, Queen Victoria’s great-grandson. However, it is not known what the Ripper’s motives were. He remains one of most notorious serial killers during the 19th century.
Impact to death InvestigationJackthe Ripper served as a base for criminal or forensic investigation. While the methods used to process crime scenes seem logical, there are some flaws in them. Charles Warren’s letter mentions some techniques that used hound dogs, which can be useful in detecting bloody stains on the ground. “If the murdered person left some of his clothes and some of their blood, I can understand that a dog could follow up on him. Or if you could show him the spot where he stood. But, since there are many scents in London streets where people walk all day long, they may be just as keen to smell the killer …”. [Charles Warren] Commissar of Police. A letter that claimed to be Jack the Ripper and which indicated the type, size, and blade of the murder weapon.
The technology might not have been available to police but if Ripper’s murders were today, it is possible to confirm the weapon’s identity. The interior and surface of sharp force injuries will show a particular pattern. Sharp force injuries will be distinct. There are no delicate, thin bridges of tissue between the stab wound and cut. The knife’s characteristics indicate whether the knife has a serrated edge, or like the Ripper, is sharp at both ends.
Documentation is Critical. Despite the claims of the letter author that he was the murderer, the evidence did not prove it. To maintain the validity of a crime scene, it is essential to document it, especially in court. Victorian investigators didn’t have the same resources today to deal with crime scenes. For instance, in 1888, no crime labs existed.
The importance of laboratory processing is crucial for multiple types evidence. The Ripper case likely influenced international police agencies to use more efficient documentation methods. Documenting every detail of a crime scene is mandatory, as even a small detail can prove crucial in identifying the killer. In order to preserve the integrity, evidence is vitally important. It’s possible that the victim’s identity was not discovered due to a lack in knowledge about preservation and collection.
If the Jack the Ripper killings happened in modern times, it is almost certain that the murderer would be apprehended. It’s almost impossible to escape murder when there are so many forensic, medicolegal, and even DNA technologies. Simply because trace technology didn’t exist in the late 19th Century, the average person would not have any knowledge of DNA or trace. However, trace evidence, according to the Locard Exchange principal, is the result from a transfer between two objects (Spitz. 2006).
Most likely, the Ripper left a trace of each victim. A police officer could have taken a crime weapon and checked it for latent fingerprints. It is possible to perform autopsies of Ripper victims. There are many databases that contain information about medical professionals. There are many databases that contain information about doctors, including the fingerprints of Ripper.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to move around without being traced with surveillance and facial recognition software. My belief is that Jack the Ripper would be caught today if he were a serial killer. The technology, in death investigations and society are far more advanced than murder to allow anyone to get away.
Conclusion. Theories aside, it is extremely unlikely that the Ripper’s murders would remain unsolved, given the advances in forensic technologies. In the late 19th century, serial murders weren’t as common as they are today. Scholars are able to gather a lot of information on serial killers as well as the tactics they use. We know that Ripper was only active for a short time, and in a very limited area. Modern forensics wouldn’t allow someone to live on a killing spree and not be caught.
Sources
BBC. (2014). British Broadcasting Corporation History Archives – Historical Figures – Jack the Ripper. Retrieved January 10, 2019, from British Broadcasting Corporation Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ripper_jack_the.shtml
Editors, B. (2014). Biography of Jack the Ripper. Biography. Retrieved January 10, 2019, from https://www.biography.com/people/jack-the-ripper-9351486
Jenkins, J. (2017). Jack the Ripper. The Encyclopedia Britannica is a comprehensive collection of information on a wide range of topics. It contains information on history, culture, science, and much more. doi:https://www,britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper
A graph that shows how a student’s performance on a task improves with repetition. (n.d.). The notorious murderer known as Jack The Ripper. The National Archives is a governmental organization that stores and preserves records. Retrieved January 10, 2019, from https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/education/jacktheripper.pdf
Spitz, W. (2006). Fourth edition of Medical Legal Investigation of Death: Guidelines to the Application of Pathology in Crime Investigation (4th Ed.). Charles C Thomas, located in Springfield, Illinois, published a book. Accessed on January 10, 2018
